Riveting machine



June 30, 1942.' A, WARD I 2,288,055

` RIVETING MACHINE Filed sept. 17, 1936 f 'as L DYE AL 'WA Fn Patented June 30, i942 OFFICE Loyd A. Ward, .Iackson,`Mich., assignor to The Tomkins-Johnson Company, Jackson, Mich., a

corporation of Michigan Application september y17, 1,936', serial No. 101,210

4 Claims. (Cl. 'X8- 49) This invention relates to riveting machines oi the type wherein a rivet is held between jaws and moved thereby into position to be headed up and more particularly to an operating connection for reciprocating the jaws toward and away from the work.

Rivet holding jaws for reciprocation toward and away from the work Aare usually mounted on cantilever leaf springs, theY springs during reciprocation of the jaws sliding between parallel spaced walls. In the event that a rivet or other obstruction sticks between the jaws and is carried by them away from the work it often happens that the cantilever springs are broken because they are forced between the spaced parallel walls when abnormally spaced due to the obstruction between the jaws.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the above difficulty by providing a resilient operative connection for reciprocating the rivet holding jaws.

Another object of the invention is to provide an operating connection between the rivet set and the jaws to engage a rivet in the jaws to prevent displacement of the rivet while the jaws are moving the rivet toward the work.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following specication when taken with the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a partial vertical section showing the operative connection for the jaws in section and the jaws in elevation, the rivet set and jaws being in extreme retracted position,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section disclosing the rivet set and jaws in eXtreme advanced position adjacent the work, and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the reference character I designates the riveting machine frame in which is slidably disposed a ram 2 reciprocable in the frame I by a suitably driven connecting rod 3. Mounted in the lower end of the ram 2 is a rivet set 4.

A pair of rivet holding jaws 5 is provided for disposing a rivet in position to be headed up by the set 4, Rivets may be inserted between the jaws 5 in any desired or known manner. Each of the jaws 5 is secured to the end of leaf springs 6 which in turn are secured by their opposite ends to plates 1. The plates 'I constitute in fact a single channel shaped member having a closed ipper end 8 having a bore 9 through which extends a rod Ill.

The rod l is secured by a screw I I to the ram 2 and is provided at its ends with shoulders I2 and i3. Between the shoulder I3 and the end 8 springs 6 and the jaws 5. There is thus a resilient connection between the jaws and the ram 2. In order to limit the movement of the jaws 5 with respect to that of the set 4 there is provided an upper stop 2D and a lower stop` 2l for engaging thev plates 1 The lower stop 2I"is adjustable, being clamped to the frame I by a bolt 22 passing through a slot 23 in the frame I.

In operation a rivet 24, as shown in Fig. 1 is disposed in some usual conventional manner between the jaws 5 when the set 4 is at or near the top of its stroke. At the same time the spring I5 is under compression and resiliently urges the plate l' up against the stop 2G. As the ram 2 and set 4 start to move downwardly the spring I5 remains under compression continuing to urge the plate 'I against the stop 29 with the result that as the set fl moves downwardly the jaws 5 remain stationary. This relative movement continues until the set 4 engages the rivet 24 to hold the same in the jaws 5. The spring I5 then becomes suiiiciently extended to permit the plates 'l to drop away from the stop 2li and the jaws 5 and set 4 move downwardly together toward the work to be riveted until the jaws are contiguous therewith. The stop ZI is adjusted so that at this point in the operation further downward movement of the jaws 5 is prevented. The set 4, however, continues downwardly forcing the rivetl 24 through the jaws 5 into the work and against an anvil, not shown. It will be clear that the resilient operative connection provided by the spring I5 makes the adjustment of the stop 2| possible. Relative movement between the rod Ill and the end 8 of the plates 'I while the set 4 is forcing the rivet through the jaws 5 into the work is taken up by the spring I4.

Should it happen that the rivet 24 or some obstruction accidently sticks between the jaws 5 while they are at the lower end of their stroke, were it not for the resilient connection between the jaws 5 and the ram 2, the springs 6 being drawn between the spaced walls of the frame I as shown in Fig, 3 would be likely to break or be damaged. However, with the resilient connection provided by the springs I4 and I5, resistance to the upward movement of the springs S such as would be caused by an obstruction between the jaws 5 forcing them apart and causing the springs 6 to bear heavily against the sides of the frame I, as shown in Fig. 3, causes the spring I5 to be compressed permitting the plates 'I and thus the springs 6 to remain in a downward position while the rod I0 moves upwardly with the ram 2.

From the foregoing it will appear that the springs I4 and I5 each have a different function but that each constitutes, with the rod I0 and plates 1, a resilient connection between the ram 2 and the springs 6. Thus for instance the use of the spring I5 alone is sufcient to prevent breaking of the springs 6 on retraction and constitutes a resilient connection.

Having thus described my invention what I desire to protect by Letters Patent and claim is:

l. In a riveting machine jaws for holding a rivet, a rivet set, means for reciprocating said set into operative engagement with a rivet in said jaws, a slideway, a slide within said slideway, an abutment projecting from said slide, a rod passing through said abutment connected to said means for reciprocating said set for movement therewith, an abutment at each end of said rod, a helical spring disposed around said rod on each side of said abutment projecting from said slide and respectively abutting against the abutments on the ends of said rod, and means connecting said jaws to said slide, whereby said helical springs constitute a resilient connection between said slide and said means for reciprocating said set, to move said jaws to dispose a rivet held in said jaws adjacent the work to be riveted and to withdraw said jaws from said work.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the means connecting said jaws to said slide comprise leaf springs, and spaced parallel walls for guiding said leaf springs.

3. In a riveting machine jaws for holding a rivet, a rivet set, means for reciprocating said set into operative engagement with a rivet in said jaws, a slideway, a slide within said slideway, a rod passing through a portion of said slide, connected to said means for reciprocating said set for movement therewith, an abutment at each endV ofsaid rod, a helical spring disposed around said rod on each side of said portion of said slide and respectively abutting against the abutments on the ends of said rod, means for connecting said jaws to said slide, whereby said helical springs constitute a resilient connection between said slide and said means for reciprocating said set, to move said jaws to dispose a rivet held in said jaws adjacent the Work to be riveted and to withdraw said jaws from said work, and a pair of spaced stops projecting into the path of movement of said slide to determine the limits of its movement and thus the limits of movement of said jaws.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein the means connecting said jaws to said slide comprise leaf springs, and spaced parallel walls for guiding said leaf springs.

LOYD A. WARD. 

